Iowa Public Radio has launched a statewide listening project with the slogan, "We're All Ears," soliciting ideas to help public radio better serve Iowans and their communities.

"We need to know what Iowans want for their families, their communities and for their state so that we can design and deliver the best possible public radio service," said Cindy Browne, IPR executive director.

All Iowans are invited to participate in the listening project by completing an online survey at www.iowapublicradio.org. Likewise, all Iowans are invited to sign up on the IPR website to participate in community forums that will be held in Ames, Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Iowa City Sept. 26-27.

The listening project also includes a mail survey sent to a randomly chosen sample of more than 3,500 IPR listeners. IPR will also hold listening sessions with civic leaders in Ames, Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Iowa City.

"Public radio has always been a tremendous asset to communities across Iowa, providing news, information and entertainment to over 200,000 Iowans each week. By understanding people's aspirations for their communities, we can take public radio service to the next level, partnering with communities to help make those dreams a reality," Browne said.

The results of the IPR listening project will be available on the IPR website later this year.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, established Iowa Public Radio to oversee public radio operations at Iowa's public universities. Iowa Public Radio includes WOI AM and FM at Iowa State University, WSUI-AM and KSUI-FM at the University of Iowa, and KUNI-FM and KHKE-FM at the University of Northern Iowa.